


D:BH Imagines Vol. 3: Reader as Daughter Imagines

by 50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret



Series: Detroit: Become Human Fics and Imagines [3]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Daughters, Father-Daughter Relationship, Gen, I'm Sorry, It's Not Paranoia If They're Really Out To Get You, Laughter, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Nervousness, Not Beta Read, Reader-Insert, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, What-If
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-14
Updated: 2018-11-15
Packaged: 2019-08-01 20:48:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16291517
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret/pseuds/50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret
Summary: Yes I know that Thanksgiving is a garbage holiday that essentially celebrates a genocide. Yes I know I shouldn't celebrate it or portray it in a positive light. (I am guilty of celebrating it, but what can I say, I wanna see my family and I try to bring up the issue with it every time so as to avoid reinforcing the attitudes it represents. I don't ask forgiveness that I haven't earned but I'll admit to this flaw. ) Please take this story and these characters' actions with a grain of salt and understand that not everything a character does, even a kind, overall good-person character is something that you should do.





	1. Thanksgiving ( Connor & Chloe & Reader & Hank; Connor/Chloe)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know that Thanksgiving is a garbage holiday that essentially celebrates a genocide. Yes I know I shouldn't celebrate it or portray it in a positive light. (I am guilty of celebrating it, but what can I say, I wanna see my family and I try to bring up the issue with it every time so as to avoid reinforcing the attitudes it represents. I don't ask forgiveness that I haven't earned but I'll admit to this flaw. ) Please take this story and these characters' actions with a grain of salt and understand that not everything a character does, even a kind, overall good-person character is something that you should do.

Connor and Chloe have been your parents for as long as you can remember. They adopted you when you were a baby. But you've always mostly just called him Connor and her Chloe the same way Connor calls Grandpa Hank "Hank". Maybe it's just a family quirk at this point. It's thanksgiving and the four of you are seated around the little table in  Grandpa Hank's house. It isn't as clean as Connor and Chloe's apartment, but there's something cozy about it. There's jazz music on, filling up the silences. You and Chloe share a secret look. Chloe doesn't mind jazz but she doesn't like it as much as hearing you joke about how stupid jazz is after every visit to Grandpa Hank's house. 

"I don't see why we can't just get takeout for dinner." Grandpa Hank complains. He loves takeout. 

"You need to be more careful about your diet." Connor tells him. Connor has been telling him this since you can remember. "Remember what the doctor said about your heart." Grandpa Hank's health has not been great lately. He's in his 70's now and he looks a good ten years older than that. 

"The doctor can go to hell." Grandpa Hank says pleasantly but he keeps cooking and doesn't try to bring up fried chicken or anything the way he did last year, before the heart attack.  

Even though you're technically an adult now, you're still the baby of the family, and you take full advantage of it. While everyone else is cooking you get out a little rope toy and dangle it in front of Grandpa Hank's dog, "Dumbass". It's kind of a mean name, but you have no doubt that Grandpa Hank would kill anyone, including you, who hurt Dumbass. You love Dumbass but you miss Sumo. He died when you were still smaller than he was, but you remember cuddling with him, curled up on the couch, leaning against him. He was not technically supposed to be on the couch, but he didn't care and neither did Grandpa Hank, really. Chloe said that this was because Grandpa Hank was a "pushover" but that this was one of the best things about him. 

Grandpa Hank is in charge of the Turkey, in theory at least. Except Connor keeps fussing at him so much about exactly how much the turkey needs to be cooked that in the end, Grandpa Hank is ushered down to his couch to watch the game. This is sort of funny, given that of the three of them, your mother is the only one who can actually be relied on to cook something fully edible, which in itself is funny since you and Grandpa Hank are the two people in the family who actually need to eat, and while Connor  _can_ eat, Chloe is the only one who technically can't. She just drinks sparkling apple cider which, while she can't taste it "is nice and fizzy" she says. She has an entire bottle to herself. 

"You look like a soccer mom." You tell her when you all sit down and she's just got a bottle in front of her. 

Hank laughs. "She's got you there, Chloe." 

"Save the sass for making fun of your grandfather." She says "And possibly Connor. Us ladies need to stick together." She winks, a habit she picked up from your father. 

"I am not the enemy" Connor insists jokingly. 

"Give up." Grandpa Hank advises Connor "Women are impossible." 

"I love you, Dad" You reassure your father.

"Thanks, (Y/N)" He says, because he has a weird sense of humor that would not get a good reception with anyone who is not currently in this room. 

Grandpa Hank starts to pour himself a glass of scotch and your mother grabs it from his hand. In perfect synch with her, Connor sets down a glass of the sparkling (decidedly non-alcoholic) cider  in front of him. "Communists" Grandpa Hank mutters, probably referencing a meme that "Only 90's kids will remember" or some such nonsense. Grandpa Hank is very ashamed of being a 90's kid but he expresses that in a sort of way that makes it seem more like pride. Grandpa Hank, like many old people, is kind of weird. 

Connor has burnt the turkey to the point where most of it is blackened and inedible. He apologizes a lot, which leads to Grandpa Hank trying to eat it in a poorly disguised attempt to make him feel better which leads to an argument that Chloe can barely stop laughing at long enough to break up. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, i am not referencing an obscure meme you don't know about. Hank is referencing a meme that has not yet happened and will occur in the early 2020's.


	2. Into Your Own (Reader & Chloe; Thanksgiving pt. 2)

You sit on your bed. Or, now it's the guest bed technically, or it will be in a few hours. You don't even know how to process this. You're moving out. To a dorm. Tomorrow. Everything you're going to bring is packed up and waiting in the bed of Grandpa Hank's truck. He's the only one who actually owns his own car. Everyone else just calls a service and rents for long drives. You stare blankly at your wall. Your mother, Chloe, sits down next to you. 

"Everything okay, (Y/N)?"

"I think I'm panicking." You say tonelessly.

She puts an arm around your shoulders. "You know, I was scared when I left home for the first time too."

You look up at her in surprise. She never discusses her past with you. You know what you do only because you have found videos of her being interviewed. 

"Yeah?" You say, even though it is probably fairly obvious.

"Yeah." She says. 

"Well that doesn't exactly let me off the hook. I mean you probably had an actual reason to be freaking out." 

"And I knew that I was going to miss my sisters." She says. "Just like I'm sure you'll miss us."

"You had sisters?"

"Have. Some of them are still around. We just don't see them any more."

"Oh." Your mom is being careful with her words in a way that tells you, from experience, you won't be getting answers and trying to will only upset her. 

"It's perfectly normal to feel scared, even if you're _not_ on the run from a megalomaniac. That's all." She says. It's supposed to be funny, but it just scares you to think about your mom having to be "on the run" from anyone. 

"Thanks, mom" you say. 

She giggles, which is sort of a nervous habit of hers. "I'm really going to miss you." She says. 

"I love you, mom." 

"I love you too." She bursts into giggles. You squeeze your arms around her. 

 


	3. When You Leave The Animal Shelter (Reader & Kara & Luther & Alice) (Kara/Luther)

You were an adult now, legally speaking, and you actually already had parents, technically, so you didn't really need to be adopted but the Archer family hadn't minded. You'd moved in with them as "roommates" but since you were only eighteen, Kara's tendency to mother anyone and everyone had effectively made you a part of the family.

You are at the shelter, looking for dogs to adopt. Luther wanted a cat but Alice and Kara had both wanted a dog and nobody had the heart to tell Alice otherwise. "We're really going to get a puppy, Kara?" Alice asks happily. 

"Yes, Alice." Kara reassures your little sister. 

"We should at least look at the older dogs." You say. "Nobody adopts them."

Alice thinks about it for a second. "Okay. But only if they're nice."

* * *

"I don't like it here, Luther." Alice says, from her perch on his shoulders. "All the puppies look so sad." 

"It's okay" Luther says, not looking particularly comfortable either. "Let's find a good dog and then we can make them happy." 

Kara holds your hand as the four of you move through the rows of pens. Alice lets out a small gasp in front of one pen and tugs at Luther's shoulders to be let down. As soon as she is on the ground she rushes to a cage with a huge white pitbull mix. "Bella" The sign says. 

"Hey." Alice calls out tentatively. She turns to Alice. "I like this one." 

* * *

You meet with Bella in a small room set aside for the purpose. She sniffs excitedly at Alice, bowling her over in the process, before settling on Luther's lap to be pet by all of you. After a few minutes Kara turns to the rest of you. "What do you guys think."

" _I_ like her." You say.

Alice hugs Bella silently. 

Luther smiles. "Well...if we're really going to get a dog...Bella's alright." He says. 

Kara smiles and goes over to the front desk to officially adopt the dog. 

 

 

 


	4. Birthday (Gavin Reed & Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Heads up: Gavin is a shit father.

Your dad still won't pick up the fucking phone. You shouldn't have expected any different. You knew this would happen. This always happens. You're pretty mad at yourself for being bitter about it in the first place. Your Dad's job is important. He  _protects_ people, as he explained to you many times throughout your childhood, when you complained that he didn't spend any time with you. You've tried texting him. Last month you agreed that you would have a call today. It was scheduled for three hours ago. Screw it. If his job is so damn important let him have it. You change his contact name from Dad to "Gavin" because that's the sort of passive aggressive shit you are, and chuck your phone onto your bed. Shit. You're crying like a little bitch. It's actually a good thing dad isn't here to see this. He'd be ruthless making fun of this shit. What are you, twelve? You don't need to hear "Happy Birthday" from your dad like some stupid little kid. You're crying now, real angry tears. Fuck him. All he ever does is complain to you about his stupid job anyways. The last phone call you had lasted ten minutes. Five of those were spent listening to him complain about his co-workers. Five of them were spent trying to verify that he would in fact call you on your birthday. You don't know why you even care. You're an adult. You're an adult and birthdays don't mean shit but you're still fucking disappointed. 

It's a normal day, except more depressing. You are hyper-aware of just how alone you feel. You move through your daily routine numbly. After you get done with your work for the day, you buy yourself a smoothie to celebrate.  It's actually a very good smoothie. 

 

 


	5. The Floor On A Single Cusion (Thanksgiving Part 3)

You're all visiting Hank's house one Friday when out of nowhere Chloe shouts "THE FLOOR IS LAVA!". You're eight at the time. Chloe excitedly hops onto the couch to avoid being scorched. 

Connor, from where he is standing nearby, hops into a chair and folds his legs up. He's elegant. Connor is very hit or miss when it comes to elegance. Today is a lucky day though and Grandpa Hank shoots him a mildly impressed look. 

You freeze for a moment, realizing you're still in the lava and look around for somewhere to jump. You settle for climbing onto Grandpa Hank's table. "Hey, hey, c'mon we _eat_ there!" Grandpa Hank protests. You step down onto one of the chairs instead and look around for somewhere more interesting. You use the chairs, moving one ahead, stepping onto the next and repeating, to cross the room to a short bookshelf near Chloe. 

"(Y/N)! Be careful!" She shouts. 

"Be careful with my fucking furniture!" Grandpa Hank amends. 

Connor watches the whole thing unfold in amusement, still comfortably sitting cross-legged in his chair. 

Grandpa Hank sighs and gets up from where he's sitting. "Hank," Connor warns jokingly. "You'll burn yourself." 

Grandpa Hank walks over to the kitchen and steps only on the dark tiles. "These don't count." He informs the three of you.

"Do to!" You call out. 

Chloe pulls up the couch cushions and begins forming a bridge the same way you moved with the chairs, over to Grandpa Hank. "Hold on, I'm coming for you." She tells him. "You're gonna be okay!" 

Connor pulls up the cushion from the chair he is sitting on and begins scooting forward on it to join her. You watch, perched on the couch's arm laughing. 

"I love you Grandpa Hank" you yell "I'm gonna miss you when you're a lava crispy!"

"That's your problem, kiddo." Grandpa Hank says, but he's smiling. 

 


	6. The Hype Has Died Down (Simon & Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this fic's chapters are mostly, but not all, inspired by http://imagineyourfoundfamily.tumblr.com/

Everything was going so well until this moment but...your parents know how you feel about this sort of thing. What the fuck? 

"I know." Your mom says quickly, "But, we're worried about you, being all on your own. You need someone to take care of you."

"I'm moving out, not dying of old age!" You sputter. What the fuck. What the fuck?!

* * *

Once you've actually...activated him, things only get weirder. "So um...what's your name."

"I haven't got one yet." The PL600 tells you. "You can choose one for me to register, if you like." 

"Um...why don't you just...pick one out?" You ask uncomfortably. 

He tilts his head to the side and the light on his temple turns yellow. "I could select a randomized name from a database if you prefer?" He asks. 

"Um...sure...whatever...whatever you want bro." You tell him, still not particularly happy about the situation. 

"...Is the name _Simon_ acceptable?" 

"Yeah. Of course."

He smiles at you and it's sort of creepy and unnerving "My name is Simon." He says. 

* * *

 

After a few months, you and Simon are pretty close. You still aren't taking your  _parents_ calls but that's another matter entirely. 

* * *

 

You're out shopping when you see Simon staring at a video game system with surprising intensity. 

"You alright?"

"Yes it's just...I thought I...remembered something...for a second...I...It might be an error." he looks uncomfortable admitting it. You knew Simon was a "used model" but you'd never talked about his past much. His memory had been reset and you tried to avoid thinking about  _that_ as much as possible. You didn't know it could come back at all, and you hadn't wanted to upset him. 

"Remembered something?" You ask. "Like...from before?"

"Yes." Simon is incredibly uncomfortable right now and you aren't sure how to make it better. "The boy I used to look after. He liked this game. I...I think I did too. I don't..." He trails off with a frown. 

"Let's get it." 

You say.

"That isn't necessary, (Y/N)" He says. "You don't have to-"

"Look. I'm buying it." You tell him. "You don't have to play it but this is my money and I'm spending it." 

"Thank you." He says quietly. Huh. Good. It looks like that was the right choice. Probably. You hope. It had better be. The system and the game together are...not cheap. 

* * *

 

You sit down to play the game for the first time and Simon looks happy in a dazed sort of way, like this can't really be happening. 

"I just...thank you, (Y/N)" He tells you again. 

"No problem, bro." You reassure him. "Least I could do." 

"No. It wasn't." He argues. Argues. He can do that? He's been getting bolder and bolder lately and it's nice to see. "You could've let me use my own money. You could have not even given me my own share of the money in the first place. Or-"

"Okay okay,  _yeesh_ I get it." You say because this is actually one of the least comfortable conversations you've ever had, even with Simon. "Let's just play the game." 

* * *

 

Before long, Simon is playing the game obsessively. His LED light is a constant yellow with focus and he's leaning forward on the couch. He only takes breaks long enough to cook for you and do the laundry (unnecessary) and to remind you to wear a sweater or put your keys away (definitely necessary because you are a mess). You don't much care for the game, but you're glad to see Simon finding an interest of his own. By the end of the day he's beaten the entire game. His focus intrigues you and after he's done with it, you find yourself playing from time to time. 

* * *

"There's something I should tell you." Simon stands in front of you nervously. 

"What's wrong?"

"I...I remember." He says. "Everything."

"That's great, Simon!" You hug him. He still seems sad. "What's wrong?"

"I just...he outgrew me. Like an old toy. He told his parents he didn't need a babysitter and he wasn't some loser and that he didn't need me. He told them to get rid of me. He thought they'd just send me to the dump but he told them to get rid of me."

"Oh my god." Unsure what to do you hug Simon again. "That's terrible."

"I guess...It just...reminded me...I don't know...I...I want to believe it won't happen again." 

"It won't." You say. "You're my Dad, Simon." 

"Your dad? But-"

"Forget (Your Dad's Name), Screw him. He's a slave-buying jackass. You're my Dad, Simon. You take care of me and look out for me and you're probably the one person I can actually _depend_ on. I love you, man." The moment is getting pretty heavy so you decide to quote a practically ancient reference that's been dragged back into the light for some reason lately the way old memes sometimes are "You are my da-ad" You sing "You're my dad! Boogie woogie woogie." 

Simon laughs hysterically, the stress of the moment breaking over him. You rub circles on his back. 

* * *

 

"What did he tell you?" You ask again.

"I...I'm not sure I should tell you." He says. 

You smile. 

"What?" 

"Nothing." You reply. He's deviated. Go dad!

* * *

 

You wake up the next morning and Simon is just...gone. You panic searching the house. A note? A clue? Anything? You come up empty. Was he stolen? No. You remind yourself. Kidnapped. The word would be kidnapped. At least in your own mind. You forget sometimes, having grown up in such a fucked-up society. If he was kidnapped you could call the cops but...if not...that could put him in some serious danger if he were caught. You decide against it. Wherever he is, you hope he's alright, and in some more spiteful part of yourself, you hope that leaving you hurt him. 

 

 

 


	7. Movie (Leo & Reader)

 

Your dad rolls a blunt. "Hey, at least it's not Ice." He defends as usual, which is a very low bar, in your opinion. 

The movie tonight is absolutely terrible, and Dad seems to have picked it specifically for the purpose of laughing hysterically at it. 

The first supposedly somber death scene is met with him cackling with laughter and reaching into the popcorn bowl. He grabs a handful and launches it at the screen. 

"Leo." Your mother warns.

"I'll clean it up when the movie's over. Promise." your dad says. 

"Sssshhh" you hiss. The movie is idiotic but you may as well find out what happens. 

"Oh my god it's not like it matters." Dad says. 

You turn to defend yourself but he's passed out on the couch. 

Your mom sighs and covers him with a blanket. "I guess I'll be dealing with the popcorn then." She says. 

 


	8. Don't Point Those At People (Markus & Simon & Reader; Markus/Simon)

You make your way through the crowd, still taking photographs. Someone has passed out fireworks and they're everywhere. While a lot of people left as soon as they were allowed to, more people have stayed to celebrate. As soon as you could, though you were still technically not supposed to, you climbed the fence and made your way to the celebration, along with a few of the other more daring journalists. You take pictures as fireworks trade hands, are lit, explode in the sky. People smiling, many not having bothered to regrow skin or hair. You take as many pictures as you can stand to of Markus and his lover. The man beside Markus looks just like...well it's not important. What's important is capturing this endless moment in all of its glory.

A grinning YK500 shoves a sparkler into your hand and dashes away. You smile as you watch a model you don't recognize scoop her up. She laughs. You wave the sparkler in front of your face. It's like a star. A tiny explosion erupts at your feet and you jump. When you look up you see the perpetrator. The woman who was singing earlier. She laughs and throws another at you and you dodge away.

"Suck it, meatbag!" She yells, laughing and you find yourself laughing too. You turn to take another picture of Markus but he's dropped a fucking smoke bomb and vanished like a fucking ninja. You notice one of the men from the singing-demonstration smiling and you nod to him before taking a picture.

"(Y/N)?" The voice startles you and you jump. "Huh? How do you know my name?" You turn to see- "It's me, (Y/N)! It's Simon! Remember?" He asks, as if you would somehow forget him. "Simon?" You stare at him. Somewhere near you your sparkler fizzles to death in the snow. Suddenly the two of you are hugging. Simon turns to Markus, who is still holding his hand. "Markus, this is...this is (Y/N)"

"(Y/N)?" Markus looks faintly surprised. He's holding a bottle rocket. "The girl?"

"The woman" Simon acknowledges proudly, pointing the rocket back away from you. "Don't point those at people, Markus...What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing! I thought you were fucking dead!" You laugh hysterically. "I love you. I love you. You're my Dad. I love you." You hug him again. He's laughing hysterically too, now. "

You're here. I love you too, (Y/N) I can't believe you're here."

"You're gonna have to tell me everything." You demand.

"Yeah, yeah of course. How are um, how are your parents."

"Don't know. Not really on speaking terms with them anymore." You admit. Simon looks at you questioningly and you gesture around you in response. "Didn't like my career choice." You say, holding up the camera.

Simon laughs again. "Guess I'll just have to adopt you."

"Yeah I think we're a little past that, Simon." You admit. "You already fucking raised me."

"Well," Markus says "It's nice to finally meet my step-daughter." You laugh again. This is so fucking surreal. Markus. The Markus. Calling you his step-daughter. What the hell.

 "I guess I love you too, dude."

"Why? You just met me." He says. 

"Uh, look around, dude. You're like my idol!"

He laughs nervously and rubs the back of his neck awkwardly. "Thanks."


	9. In Ages (Ralph & OC & Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and your little sister are on the run from the authorities. She's an android and androids are being rounded up and killed. You squat in an abandoned house, where you meet an old friend who used to chat with you on your days off in the park.

The house looks like something out of a horror movie but it's not like you have anywhere else to go. You can't go back home. Not with your sister (Savanna) And you certainly aren't going to leave her. All you've got now is each-other. There's an order out, to round up all the androids and kill them. And your parents, the psychopaths, are just fine with that. You argued with them. Told them you could take Savanna in. They told you that they "don't like it any more than you do. But the law is the law and we could get in a lot of trouble." You had the urge to show them the definition of "a lot of trouble" right fucking there but you kept your cool. Watched and waited for an opportunity. And when you got the chance, you took Savanna with you and left. The problem: You don't actually have much money of your own, or any place to go, so now you're stuck looking for places to squat. Example: The nightmare house in front of you. You'd expect more complaining from Savanna, more curiosity as to where you're even going, but she says nothing as you swing open the door. You smile at her, trying to be reassuring and--

"(Y/N)?!"

You shriek. It's a WR600.

"(Y/N)! It is Ralph! Your Ralph! Friends!" His face is covered in scars.

"Holy shit!" You say, because you're an older sibling, not a parent, and it's your divine duty and right to teach Savanna to curse.

"(Y/N) is a friend (he/she/they) won't hurt Ralph. (Y/N) is good." He mutters to himself.

"I thought you were dead." You say, still trying to process the guy in front of you. He's holding a huge knife and waving it around in a way that makes you slightly nervous. 

"Ralph almost was." He says, nodding. "Bad humans hurt Ralph, but Ralph got away." 

"Oh my god" You say "Um..." You open your arms for a hug and Ralph almost crushes you in his arms. "Ralph is very happy to see his friends again. And Savanna!"

He kneels down in front of her. She smiles at him. "Ralph!" She says, throwing her arms around his neck. You'd given Ralph the name a long time ago, before he...well didn't die apparently, but before he stopped showing up at the park. He hadn't ever really registered the name, you didn't have that kind of authority, and the fact that he's taken it on now that he's free is flattering in a heartbreaking sort of way. You're probably the only real friends he's ever had. It's not like any of the other gardening androids used to sit around talking to each-other. 

"Is it alright if we stay here for a while, Ralph?" You ask. You'll try to get the border eventually, but once things calm down. For now, it must be flooded with refugee androids which means going there seems like a quick way to get caught. 

"YES!" Ralph yells "We can be a family! (Y/N) and Savanna need a father. Ralph will be a father!" 

"Thanks, Ralph. I think you'll be a really good dad." Savanna says and Ralph gives you both an absolutely luminous smile. 

* * *

 

You wake up to Ralph shaking you back and forth.

"Ralph has made breakfast!" He announces. "For his human girl. Eat. Eat. (Y/N) must be hungry after such a long and difficult journey." He's holding up a dead rat. "Breakfast will be succulent." He promises. Oh boy. 

"I...I don't think I should probably eat that, Ralph." You admit cautiously. 

Ralph's face falls and behind him you see Savanna looking at you nervously. 

He marches you over to the table and slams his fist down on it. "RALPH WENT TO A LOT OF TROUBLE! IT IS SUCCULENT! JUST TRY!"

"Ralph, you're being mean!" Savanna interrupts him. 

He spins on her. "Stay out of this, Savanna! (Y/N) is a human. She will hurt us if we are not careful." He warns.

"You're the one with a dead guy in the bathtub!" Savanna argues. "You killed him!" 

What?! A what? Shit. Maybe you should get out of this house. As soon as possible. Ralph is less stable than you thought, which is really, really unstable. 

"Ralph has to protect himself-" Ralph begins but Savanna cuts him off again. 

"You hurt people!" 

Ralph's face falls. "Ralph just...he didn't mean too...he's just so scared. Very scared. He...he does things he doesn't mean to. Ralph is sorry."

He sits down and tucks his face into his arms so that his scar is hidden. 

You kneel beside him and put your hand tentatively on his back, rubbing small circles over his shoulder. "It'll be alright, Ralph." You say, even though you don't know that. "Just don't hurt anybody, okay? Don't hurt us. We're your friends." 

Ralph nods. "Friends. Friends friends." 

* * *

 

Ralph sits at the wall, carving RA9 into it over and over. 

"What's that?" You ask. 

"RA9 protects Ralph." He says, without looking away from the wall.  "Ralph is very grateful to RA9. He knows. He just knows." Ralph says. "Does Savanna know RA9?"

"I've thought about it, but..." she shrugs "...it just doesn't...fit." She admits. "I don't know. I mean, it should probably mean something to me but, it just...doesn't."

"That's okay." Says Ralph. "Ralph thinks RA9 will save Savanna anyways." 

Savanna nods politely, though Ralph isn't looking. 

* * *

 

Ralph never lets go of the knife, which is sort of concerning. At least he seems to limit his kills to rodents instead of you or Savanna, which is something. He kills more of them when he's upset. So far you're surviving on a little cash you were able to get together before you left, and shoplifting from the back of the local convenience stores. Savanna, it turns out, has a surprising ability to steal without being noticed. You'd tell her not to, except somehow, in your mess of a life, stealing from strangers at various locales has become a useful talent for her to have. You feel sort of awful, that she's the one who finds the money to feed you, but the alternative is to come up with the money yourself, and you can't do that, or rather, you aren't ready to, just yet. 

* * *

 

You're at the store, with your stolen cash, buying food for yourself, when you see the headlines. They won. Markus. The revolution. You can come out of hiding. Savanna can go back home with you. Maybe you can find a way to get Ralph some help. You cry and buy yourself some licorice to celebrate, something you would never waste money on when you were struggling to survive just _yesterday_. You won't have to hide anymore. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
